470 



Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



and face should also be thin, rendering the various prominences upon 

 the skull easily apparent. The high-class hunter should have a mild, 

 keen, and extremely intelligent expression. 



The neck must be long, narrow towards the poll, and the head 

 should be carried obliquely, a lofty carriage being undesirable in the 

 hunter. As the shoulders are approached, the neck should increase in 

 width, be of moderate thickness, and clean along its upper border, with 

 a closely-cropped mane. Many hunters are very weedy in the neck, 

 and if this is the case, the horse is unable to recover himself in the 



Fig. 178. — A typical hunter. Surprise, a winner at the Royal Hunter Show 

 and many other shows in England. Owned by Sir Merrick Burrells. 



event of a fall, as the muscles of the neck materially assist in raising 

 the forepart of the body in its attempt to regain balance. 



The upper border of the neck should pass into high withers, and 

 most of the best hunters are high in this region. 



When judging hunters, attention must be fixed upon the shoulders, 

 not only while the horse is at rest, but also when jumping, as good 

 shoulder action is one of the most important points in a hunter. In 

 action it must be free and full, yet fine, because if the shoulders are 

 logged up with muscles (heavy shoulders), the free action is interfered 

 with when jumping. 



